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Dining Across the Pond: A Complete Guide to What to Eat in London

London is a diverse, international city with a wide variety of cuisines to enjoy. Learn more about what to eat in London for the full experience.

British food has a reputation. Specifically, if you want to experience the great foods of Europe…don’t go to England.

While London isn’t the home of pizza or macarons, there’s a distinct pleasure and coziness that you can only find at an English pub.

And within English pubs, there’s a ton of traditional British food that’s well worth a taste (and some less traditional food, too). Here’s your complete guide for what to eat in London.

Fish and Chips

London without fish and chips is like London without the Queen, red phone booths, or double-decker buses.

Rare is a food so comforting as fish and chips, a deep-fried fillet of cod, haddock, or plaice and served with thick, fried slices of potatoes (chips, thicker than the American fries) and boiled or mashed peas.

London’s oldest fish and chip shop (or chippie) still in operation in Rock and Sole Plaice, dating back to 1871. But the East End is where the working class propelled the dish into the culinary culture.

English pudding dates back to 1305 when the Middle English word “poding” referred to a meat-filled animal stomach. Happily, modern pudding has a different connotation.

In general, it means dessert, though it can be sweet or savory (see: black pudding).

Sticky toffee pudding comes from Scotland and consists of dense sponge cake made with chopped dates and topped with a rich toffee sauce. And if you need some ideas about where to find this joy of life, check out this list.

Less Traditional Eats: World Cuisine in London

Now, full disclosure: British pub food isn’t the only great food you can find in London. In fact, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t explore the other amazing cuisines available here.

Indian food, for example, is known to be spectacular in London. Seriously, you’ll never want to order takeout Indian food in America again.

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The name is John. I've been travelling for about 3 years now and don't plan on going back home to Canada anytime soon. I love to eat, watch sports and stay out late. But most of all, I love not working a 9-5 job anymore... (Not that there's anything wrong with that!). It just wasn't for me, I felt like my soul was slowly dying every day I dredged in front of my computer screen in a mundane office. Read More…